Which is Worse: Cereals with Big or Small Flakes?
The little flakes in your breakfast bowl carry a weighty surprise: When people ate cereal with the smallest flakes, they consumed 72 more calories on average than when they'd eaten cereal with the largest flakes, a new Penn State study found.
Related: 7 Ingredient Swaps That Make Almost Any Recipe Healthier
Small flakes fit together more snugly, explains study author Barbara J. Rolls, Ph.D., while big ones pile up unevenly, leaving more empty space in the bowl. When you pour large flakes into a bowl, filling it up takes less cereal (with fewer calories).
Related: "Healthy" Foods That Are Worse for You Than a Cheeseburger
If your breakfast favorite happens to have small flakes -- or is dense, like granola -- measure out your serving first, then top off the bowl with fruit and low-fat or nonfat yogurt or skim milk.
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